Health care insurance is a racket

I have health insurance through my employer, a benefit that is supposed to help me when I have legitimate reasons to see a health care provider. Well, just this past fall I had issues with a rotator cuff injury that I'm just getting over. I saw a physical therapist for the injury, thinking that the expert advice he could offer would be worth the visit. Now that I've been to the therapist, a ***** from Healthcare Recoveries, a subsidiary of Trovers Inc., insists that I call her to speak of my treatment. From my brief time researching online, I determined that Trovers is in the business of getting back money for the health insurance companies, in my case, Blue Cross Blue Shield. Some of what they do is try to get the auto insurance companies, in case of auto accidents, or workmen's comp to pay for health care bills. But last time I called a company like this one, they were clearly fishing around for a pre-existing condition. Regardless, it is the insurance companies and parasites like Trovers, Inc. that are the problem with our health system.

I'm sick of these jokers. To get harassed every time I seek health care? This kind of administrative waste is exactly why we need a single-payer system.

Worried about hair loss? My experience with Minoxidil

Just two years ago in 2007 I noticed that I had a considerable amount of hair loss near the front of my hairline. The receding was significant half-way back from the front of my bangs, leaving a large tuft of hair in the center. Since my father is bald, and a slew of uncles as well, it was the moment of truth I was waiting for and I wasn't all too pleased. I decided to arrest the balding by using minoxidil, the drug behind Rogaine. Back in the 1990s, when Rogaine first came out, it cost around $50 a month. But today, due to the entrance of generics in the market, the brand Rogaine costs around a third of its original price and the generics much less. Now that it was affordable, I saw no reason not to give it a try.

In my case, there was a reason not to use Rogaine or one of its generics, however. The literature says that it isn't FDA-approved for use on a receding hairline in the front, only for pattern baldness at the crown. However, I tried it for my frontal receding hairline for over a year, perhaps almost two years, and thought that it had increased my hair density significantly. I was confirmed of that view when I stopped using it this year and I experienced significant hair loss again in the same frontal region. I'm convinced that the stuff works anywhere on the scalp, but if it works, why did I stop?

There was one side effect of minoxidil that I found very annoying, besides the pain of having to apply this greasy liquid to your scalp twice a day. The worst was the dandruff flaking caused by the product. I'm convinced that the flaking was caused by the scalp becoming more "fertile" and able to grow hair, but with the amount of flaking produced, I'd preferred at times to go bald! I also have a theory that people who use more medicines and chemicals in their lives, even if they are given the green light by the FDA, are increasing their risk of cancer and other diseases. The FDA isn't perfect, and some dangerous products could get approved. The more you use, the higher the risk. Minoxidil is a lifestyle drug, and it felt strange applying to you scalp this greasy chemical that causes dandruff. It just didn't seem worth taking any risks. I stopped using it, trying to come to terms with baldness by buying hats and devising a new, shorter haircut. But, now that the baldness is coming back, I'm not sure if I've come to terms. Do I really want to go back to the grease and the dandruff? No.... time to come to terms with vanity, get a new haircut and buy some more hats.

Ditto on the last post

Whoa, I'm way off my diet and I'm blaming Thanksgiving. My willpower crumbled as all sorts of dishes and desserts were shoved in front of my face. Now, meaning right now, I need to get back on track! The only problem is that eating habits are acquired by practice and right now I'm out of practice.

Back on the routine

Sometimes you need to reconfirm your commitments and redouble your efforts. Yesterday I noticed in the mirror that I might've gained a little weight, with a little extra padding around the mid-section. Lately I've been cheating here and there on my diet and missing a few workouts due to illness. I'm energized, though, in starting again. What was gained is not that much and can easily be taken off.

The role of exercise in losing weight

I'm still trying to digest this article on exercise and weight-loss in the New York Times. It confirms my own experience in losing weight, namely that diet is far more crucial in losing weight than exercise. Also according with my experience is the role exercise can play in maintaining a reduced weight. Something new for me, however, was the advice that exercise be somewhat leisurely if weight-loss is the goal.

Measuring girth

I've discovered that the easiest way for a guy to tell if he's gaining weight is to buy jeans that fit him perfectly, and then monitor over time if the jeans are getting too snug or loose. Just this past week or so, unfortunately, I've noticed that my new jeans, bought two months ago, are definitely starting to get a little snug. I was so happy to get down to a 31 waist size, but now I could stand to have a 32 at least. Looks like I need to cut out the extra carbs and sugar and the late-night beer once in awhile!

Am I getting enough sleep?

Getting enough sleep is always a problem for me. I love to stay up late, sometimes squeezing some late night time for myself before I have to go to sleep and then wake up the next day for the daily grind. Lately, though, I've realized that I might be getting enough sleep at around 7 hours per night. For whatever reason, 8 hours has always been the magic number for me, but this WebMD article says that the average is 7 to 8 hours. To test what works best, I might record my sleep hours and how I feel in my exercise journal and then analyze the results.